Map of Africa locating Gabon

On 17 August 1960, Gabon, a country in west central Africa, gained independence from France. It shares common borders with Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and the Gulf of Guinea. Autocratic presidents ruled Gabon since independence. In the early 1990s, Gabon introduced a multiparty system and a new constitution that allowed for a more transparent electoral process and institutional reforms.

A small population, abundant natural resources, and foreign private investment have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous sub-Saharan African countries. Gabon is Sub-Sahara's third largest producer and exporter of crude oil.

Further information

• For a broad overview ofAfrican independence.
• http://www.sas.upenn.edu/ - For a large, physical feature and provincial regions map
• http://www.sas.upenn.edu/ - Has an annotated list of a wide variety of Gabon sites
• http://www-sul.stanford.edu/ - Is an annotated collection of many Gabon related sites
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/ - For audio clips, brief facts and a Gabon
• http://allafrica.com/ - For breaking news on Gabon
• http://www.cia.gov  - For what the CIA has on Gabon
• http://www.gksoft.com/ - Has government information on Gabon
• http://www.eia.doe.gov/ -Has economic information on Gabon
• http://www.infoplease.com/ - Provides historic and geographic information

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